Baron
'' Adapted from the Anarch's Guide...'' "Power is a curious thing... Three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives, who dies? ... Power resides where men believe it resides; it's a trick, a shadow on the wall, and a very small man can cast a very large shadow." This is actually the only universal title currently used by the Anarch Movement, with regard to the political arena. After the events of The Broken Throne and The Schism, the Anarch movement's organization seemed to fit well into the Neo-Feudal nights. By its simplest definition, a baron is simply the Anarch Movemen'ts equavalent of a Prince. Similar to the old title of the Camarilla, a Baron (or Baroness) is a Vampire that has claimed dominion over a given area; typically a city. The remaining vampires — or at least, those vampires smart enough to have gained some experience without winding up on the wrong end of a stake or a sunrise — know that any territory with even a modest Kindred population requires someone to moderate it. Barons normally arent one for passing a great number of policies because he must avoid the appearance of ditating the behavior of those below him. Instead, most of his time is devoted to mediating conflicts and disputes between Kindred, orchestrating agreements with other local Kindred leaders and enforcing the Laws of the Night within his borders— the vampires of the Neo-Feudal Nights aren't so stupid as to bring the wrath of the mortal world down upon them in their weakened state. The problems barons face when it comes to mediating disputes is that the aggrieved parties rarely com to them willingly. If two Kindred are battling over a corporation, a street corner, a bit of terriotry or even a favored mortal, it's the baron's job to keep abreast of the situation and to step in before it gets out of hand. Sure, an vampire occasionally comes to the baron with a problem, but that's usually because she's come out on the losing end of a conflict she's already tried to handle on her own. So what a baron really is, when all is said and done, is a Kindred with all the responsibilities of a Prince, but without the traditional authority to back it up. He can't count on the age-old respect that a prince's title inspires, because he doesn't have the strength of those old traditions. What he has is the authority to enforce the Laws of the Night in his domain for so long as he can enforce them. A Baron may be usurped by an older, more ruthless vampire at any time. Like a noble lord from the Middle Ages, he has only the authority that he is able to 'purchase' with his own steel. Additionally, a Baron is only a Baron for so long as he commands a given Domain. The second he falls from power, he is no different than any other vampire within the area. He may leave his Domain to attend a Court of Blood in a different Barony (domain), but he would only do so at the invitation of the other Baron. And, if he is a wise leader, he will ensure that he has a way of removing himself from the Court and returning to his domain without hinderence. A Baron's Court To assist him in this duty, he often appoints other, loyal vampires to assist him in his work. *Sheriff: Typically the right-hand man for a Baron, they are charged with upholding the Baron's Peace. *Herald: An emissary and Harpy of the Baron appointed to deliver messages to other Courts. Category:Setting/Vampire Category:Setting/Anarchs